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Chapter 1 - Don't Sell Me Out |
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There was something about walking around at night that made the body’s senses heightened. Your eyes are wide as they try to adapt to seeing in the dark, your ears pick up every crunch you make as you walk, the hairs on your arm seemed to stand on end, just waiting to feel something brush by. Then there’s that refreshing cool air that attaches itself to your body, almost feeding off of your warmth and invading your lungs, trying to take over.
That cold air never really mixed well with intense heat. So you could imagine the plight of one stray, limping down the sidewalk of a culdesac. Blood heavily drenched the her side, black shirt glistening in the street light. Drops of red trailed after her as she forced her legs to keep moving forward. She knew someone who lived nearby. She trusted that person enough to know he would keep her safe.
A pained groan was stifled as she pressed her hand into her side, trying to stop the bleeding, but the cut had been too deep. Her walking wasn’t helping either. Gods, she needed to get there before they found her out in the open like this. Then everything would have been for nothing.
A small house soon came to her spotted vision, the red bricks and green roof standing out from all the other eggshell white houses that surrounded it. She cut through the grass and headed straight for the front door, banging on it with her clean fist. She could hear the barking just behind the frame and she had to look around to make sure no one heard. “Hurry, hurry,” she softly whispered, biting the corner of her lip as she tried to stand up right.
Soon the barking subsided when a voice from behind the door shushed them away. The wooden door cracked open, revealing a familiar face. The look of surprise didn’t pass her, and she knew her visit was unexpected. Of course it was. She never came by without calling ahead of time, and it was usually in the daytime. She could tell by the way his hair was ruffled that he had just woken up. She would have to apologize later.
“Who is it?” came another voice from within the house. Bart ignored it as he stared at her, rubbing at one of his eyes. She stood tall, trying to look casual, but the pain was getting worse. It must have been hard to tell that she was mortally wounded in the dark. “H-hey, Bart. Sorry for the short notice. M-mind if I come in.” She cursed herself for her stuttering but found it hard to keep her tone straight.
The brunette seemed to notice and soon made room for her to enter, shoving his dogs away from the door. “Thanks,” she mumbled, stepping inside before leaning against the wall. Now in the safety of a house and away from the outside world, she allowed herself to hunch over. A mere lamplight and computer screen lit the darkness and she could see another figure sitting in the chair, parked in front of said appliance. “Hey, Derek.” The other simply blinked in surprise and replied with a slow hello.
Bart stood back from the door and took in the sight of his battered friend. With light to illuminate her figure, he could see that the hand clenched at her side was covered in red, and a dark bruise was forming at the corner of one of her eyes. “Jesus, Kova! What the ******** happened to you?” he gasped, instantly at her side to assess the damage.
She pushed him away and tried to stand on her own once more. But the warmth of his home replaced the chilly night air, lulling her body into a false sense of comfort. She was immediately leaning on Bart for support. “J-just get me to your bathroom. I’ll be fine.” Bart snorted at the statement but did what he was told. Half dragging Kova into the next room, he motioned for his friend, Derek to wipe up the blood that was accumulating on the wooden floor.
The bathroom was a tight fit so he let her go in first, careful to stay close behind in case she fell. But Kova managed on her own as she used the wall for leverage. She reached the tub, and Bart thought she would rest against it, perhaps even sit on the edge. But Kova always had a way to surprise him. She missed the edge completely and fell back, sitting inside the tub, legs hanging over the side. She groaned pitifully and he thought she might of slipped. “Are you-”
“Fine-Fine!” she cut him off, holding her aching side. “It’s just stretching, that’s all.” It took him a minute to realize that she was talking about her wound. He flipped the toilet seat lid down and sat on it, staying close by. “Lift up your shirt.”
Even in the midst of danger, Kova couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her. She glanced over at Bart with a single eye opened. The other submissed to the swelling of a bruise. “C-can’t you pick a better time--To see me naked?” Kova chuckled through her pain and Bart lit up instantly, face pink. “Christ, Kova! Does this look like a time to fool around?!” He was yelling at her, his voice trying to cover up his embarrassment. She winced at the echo in the bathroom and Bart instantly settled down.
She looked up at him with sodden amber eyes. “Tell Derek… To lock the door.” Her free hand reached out blindly for the faucet knob, grabbing onto the HOT handle and turning it on. Water instantly started up from the faucet and she hiked up the small lever that converted the spouting water into a stream from the shower head. Cool water instantly rained down on her and Kova shivered.
Bart watched but had only one question. He quickly called out to his friend to do what she had asked, but looked back at her, watching the water and blood mix into a pink mixture around the drain. “Why?”
Slowly, Kova peeled off her black shirt from the wound, lifting it up just enough to see the damage. It was just a pure red and black mess until the shower water slowly ate away at the grime. Kova couldn’t see it, but from the look on Bart’s face, it must have been nasty. Her head rested against the tub wall as she tried to only focus on her breathing, not wanting to fall unconscious. “H-how does it look?”
Bart studied her for a moment, not sure if that question was rhetorical. In all honesty, it looked an elephant had gouged at her side, just under the ribs, with it’s tusk. He had to look away, hand over his mouth, unsure if he was going to be sick or not. “It’s--Disgusting, Kova. What the Hell happened?” he couldn’t turn to look at her. As long as her wound was exposed, he couldn’t stand it; uneasiness rising from his lower stomach to his chest.
Kova blinked very slowly, noting the diversion in his attention. She didn’t blame him. “I’ll tell you everything--Later. Right now. I need you to--Go back to the living room. If anyone comes at the door--Looking for me--Even if it’s our friends.. Don’t tell them--That I’m here.” She struggled with her words, not bothering to wipe the wet hair that plastered against her face under the shower head. Bart finally did turn his gaze back to her, but stared at her face.
“I’m not leaving you,” he said matter-of-factly. Kova grunted, shifting her body to sit up more and he turned away against as more blood and dirt gushed from her side. “Trust me. I--Need a shower. But not when you’re here. Go.” She shooed him away with a wave of her hand, trying to coerce him to leave. Hesitantly and begrudgingly, he finally stood up and exited the bathroom, leaving Kova alone.
He came back to the living room, a worried Derek on the couch now, staring at him. “What’s up?” Bart shook his head, unsure how to answer that. He took a seat in the computer chair, looking at the floor and noting that the blood was all gone. It was oddly quiet too and he realized that the dogs were gone. Derek must have let them out back.
Bart sighed, slumping forward. “I dunno. She didn’t tell me anything. Has this… Gaping gash in her side though. Makes me want to puke just thinking about it.” He dipped his head forward, trying to ignore the image. “She only said that if anyone came poking around here, to not tell them that she’s here.”
Derek gave him a questioning look, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned back. “Wonder who’s looking for her. Do you think we should take her to the hospital?” It was obvious that Kova’s injury was serious, but Bart wasn’t making any moves towards the house phone. Bart shook his head no.
“They’ll heal up fine soon. She’s in the tub, showering.” Bart felt horrible for not being able to do more. Sitting around and waiting was killing him, and he desperately wanted to know what happened to his friend. What could she have possibly done that would have left her in such a state?
________________________________________________________- TBC? Well that's up to my avid readers. I need a yay or nay to see if I continue with this story.
SikFox · Wed Jan 20, 2010 @ 09:11am · 0 Comments |
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